I’m getting ready to stand and hunt Thorin down to apologize when the two-way radio he has tucked in his pack buzzes to life. At first, I ignore the static until a high-pitched whine follows that tells me someone is trying to use our frequency.
It’s a public channel, so it’s not impossible, but in the decade we’ve been here, it’s never happened before.
“Sheriff?” a voice calls over the channel. The sound is muffled but unmistakably female. “Sheriff, are you there? Hello?” It crackles and hisses when the woman on the other end releases the receiver to wait for a response. Could she be hurt? She didn’tsound in distress, but there was something familiar about the voice that was making my skin prickle with awareness. Whoever it was has to be close if we’re picking up the signal. And Thorin and I aren’t far from the cabin…
Cursing when realization dawns, I snatch up Thorin’s pack.
Did something happen? Was Aurelia hurt? Was Khalil?
My heart is pounding as I search Thorin’s pack for the radio. It feels like forever before I find it and yank it free. I’m getting ready to press on the receiver and ask her what’s wrong when the sheriff’s voice comes through loud and clear.
“Sheriff here,” Kelly speaks gruffly. “You’re early. Is there a problem?”
I’m frowning when the channel crackles again, and then it clears a moment later when Aurelia responds. “Not really,” she says dryly like she’d rather not be talking at all. “Just sticking to our agreement.”
“Our agreement was for the end of the day,” the sheriff returns.
“Yeah, well, I can’t really control when I’m at the cabin and when I’m not, so you’re gettingthiscall at thestartof the day.”
“Aurelia,” the sheriff begins with a sigh like this is an argument they’ve had before. I never realized she and the lawman were so close. “This is for your own good. I just want to make sure you’re safe.”
“I’m safewith them,” she snaps. “I told you that.”
“Yes. Well, you’ve told me many stories, but none of them are adding up. Until they do, our deal stands. You are to check in with me every day. If you’re late even once or miss a single day, I’ll lock those boys up and throw away the key. Am I clear?”
“Crystal,” she responds coldly. I feel goose bumps on my arm and fight the need to shiver.
“Good,” the sheriff says as if he’s unaware of her dark mood. “And, Aurelia?”
“What?”
“I still expect a call this evening before I leave the station. Is that understood?”
Aurelia doesn’t answer, and it takes both the sheriff and me a while to realize she isn’t going to. The amiable sheriff volleys a surprising string of curses sharp enough to make a pirate blush and then the channel goes dead.
Aurelia, I’m learning, tends to have that effect on people.
I’m not aware of my own rage building until I’m already moving. The radio flies from my hand and crashes into the tree before raining down to the ground in broken pieces.
Fooled yet a-fucking-gain.
I’m still sitting in the same spot when Thorin finally returns. His expression is relaxed until he sees the broken radio and my foul mood. “What the hell happened?” He quickly dismisses the radio and crouches in front of me. His blue eyes are filled with concern as he watches me. “Talk to me. What’s wrong? What can I do, Zeke?”
I could tell him.
I could tell him everything I overheard between the sheriff and Aurelia and finally make him see the truth, but would he believe me? If he doesn’t, it would shatter everything.
My trust in him and his trust in me.
And then there’s the hurt.
The pain it would unleash on him to know it was all a lie.
It’s been more than a decade, and I still remember it. God, I don’t think I could ever forget. Could I really do that to Thor and Khalil? Could I really take it all away just because I can’t let go? And what about Aurelia? Khalil, Thorin, and Seth are the ones who kidnapped her. She should have a way out if she needs it.She’s done nothing wrong, I realize with a depressing twist of the knife in my back.
“Nothing,” I whisper, sticking to my original plan. I reach for the hollowness inside my chest that is crying out for someone to fill it. “There’s nothing you can do. It’s what I have to do.”
Thorin cocks his head. “And what’s that?”
